1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to toner cartridges used in electrophotographic image forming devices and, more particularly, to a toner cartridge having an angled exit port surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to reduce the premature replacement of components traditionally housed within a toner cartridge for an image forming device, toner cartridge manufacturers have begun to separate components having a longer life from those having a shorter life into separate replaceable units. Relatively longer life components such as a developer roll, a toner adder roll, a doctor blade and a photoconductive drum are positioned in one replaceable unit (an “imaging unit”). The image forming device's toner supply, which is consumed relatively quickly in comparison with the components housed in the imaging unit, is provided in a reservoir in a separate replaceable unit in the form of a toner cartridge that mates with the imaging unit. In this configuration, the number of components housed in the toner cartridge is reduced in comparison with traditional toner cartridges. As a result, in systems utilizing a separate toner cartridge and imaging unit, the toner cartridge is often referred to as a “toner bottle” even though the toner cartridge is more complex than a mere bottle for holding toner.
In devices utilizing a separate toner cartridge and imaging unit, toner is fed from an exit port on the toner cartridge into an entrance port on the imaging unit. It is important that the exit port on the toner cartridge and the entrance port on the imaging unit are precisely aligned. If the exit port on the toner cartridge is misaligned with the entrance port on the imaging unit, severe toner leakage may occur resulting in mechanical and print quality defects. The requirement for precise alignment must be balanced with the need to permit the user to easily load and unload the imaging unit and the toner cartridge into and out of the image forming device.